01.03.05 Jewelry of the Day

Update:  this was my very first post - and I've come a long way in almost 11 months.  Check out #todaysearrings on Instagram to see what I'm wearing now.

I have a lot of jewelry -  and sometimes I get stuck in a rut, wearing the same (favorite) pieces over and over.  One of the ways I've tried to vary what I wear is by posting photos - it gives me an incentive to pull out something different, if not every day, at least a few times a week.

Posting also gives me an opportunity to share some of my favorite jewelry shops and designers with you - especially since several of them have been instrumental in getting me to start this blog.

So, watch this space.

10.19.15 Motor City

1968 Ford Galaxie 500 Sedan
Photo credit: galaxieclub.com

Growing up - we were a Ford family.  The first family car I really remember was a big, blue Galaxie 500 sedan.  My brother and I used to fight in the back seat, so my mother took a roll of mastic tape and put a strip down the middle - giving each of us "our side".  Looking back, it seems pretty amazing, because that car was - as my husband calls it, a "land yacht" - and we both had way more room than any two kids today.

1970 Ford Torino Wagon
Photo credit: Jeff Cooper

The Galaxie turned out to be a lemon and spent way too much time in the shop, so in 1970 my parents replaced it with another Ford - this one a white Gran Torino station wagon.  My mother always referred to it "Moby Dick" because it was indeed, white and huge.  The wagon fared much better - it was the car I drove in high school - until 1979 when it was rear ended and the country had gas rationing.  Then we became (and remain) a Honda family.

1967 Camaro
Photo credit: Barrett-Jackson cars

My husband comes from a Chevy family.  He grew up driving his dad's 1967 Camaro.  He loved that car - and to this day he mourns its untimely demise. When we were first dating he was appalled to learn that I couldn't tell the difference between a Camaro (a working man's sports car) and Chevy's high end model, the Corvette.  Whenever we were out and about and he saw either car, he would ask "Camaro or Corvette?"  It wasn't a deal breaker for our relationship, like the Baltimore Colts quiz in the movie Diner, but it was clearly important that I be able to tell one model from another.  Eventually, I figured it out.

1968 Corvette
Photo credit: Barrett-Jackson cars

Fast forward to jewelry making...I recently wrote about my new interest in cabochons because I'll be using them when I take my four week fabrication class.  As I was reading and learning about them, I came across references to a stone called "Fordite", which is not really a stone at all, but does make spectacular jewelry.

Uncut Fordite from
ScaleSolutions on etsy

"Fordite", also called "Motor Agate" or "Detroit Agate" is old automobile paint which has been baked and hardened over time.   It was formed from the built up of layers of enamel paint slag on tracks and skids on which cars were once hand spray-painted.

Fordite Heart from
ForditeFanaticsUK

While it is called "Ford"-ite, it comes from all kinds of automobile plants, including the Corvette lines, which produce some amazing stones with red layers. Inventive collectors began taking the "raw" material and cutting and polishing it into "stones" for jewelry.  With new painting processes in place, there is no new "Fordite" being created, but it is still available for purchase.

Fordite ring
Photo credit: Beth Wilson

Raw Fordite looks a lot like a block of uncut stone, and finished cabochons bring to mind agate, or millefiore glass - with vibrant colors and intricate patterns. In addition to looking at loose cabs, I've pinned pictures of a lot of finished pieces to my inspiration board.  I love this piece, made by my friend and jeweler, Beth Wilson - and it appears she does too, because the photo caption says "Fordite ring...this one won't make it to the shop".

After looking at lots of options, I chose this piece, from Magic Stones on etsy, because it has so many different colors. I'm thinking it will make a lovely bezel set pendant.

I'll be posting updates from the course on Instagram, and by late November I hope to have a finished piece to share (well, in pictures anyway - like Beth, I plan on keeping this one).

Until next time.

10.12.15 Hook 'Em!

If you don't live in Texas (or Oklahoma), you might have thought that this long holiday weekend was about a plundering Spanish explorer who landed on the shores of North America thinking he had made it to India, and you would be...WRONG.  

This weekend was about football, pride and bragging rights.  Yep, this past weekend was "Texas-OU", or as we call it in these parts, the Red River Showdown.

The two teams have met 110 times since their first face off on October 10, 1900, always in Dallas which is located halfway between Austin and  OU's home in Norman, OK.  Since 1932, the game has been played at the Cotton Bowl on the Texas State Fair grounds.

Going into Saturday's game, Texas (2-4) was a 17 point underdog to #10 Oklahoma (4-1).  I think it's safe to say no one really expected the Longhorns to win this one - but win they did!  Not only did they silence the haters, now even if it's not a winning season - it will by definition be a good one, because the Golden Stetson and all associated bragging rights (it's shiny, and kinda like jewelry) comes back to Austin for another year (and Oklahoma dropped from #10 to #19 in the FBS ranking).

We Texans are a proud people, and we like to wear our pride on our sleeves, our heads and our ears.  My mother loved being a Texan - even when she was living on the east coast - she identified with the Lone Star State and pined for it in her absence.  She was so happy to be back when she and my dad moved to Dallas in 1990.  In the five years they were here before returning to DC, we saw more than one Texas-OU game (but not all of them ended as well as yesterday's).

With that on my mind, I thought I'd write about some of her Texas treasures. I've written a lot about my mother's jewelry - yes, she had diamond earrings,  elegant hoops and several James Avery pieces that were definitely fine jewelry, but she had "fun" jewelry, too.  That's not so surprising - while she was frighteningly smart and could be a very serious person, she also had a wicked sense of humor and loved to have a good time.  So, when she didn't have to look professional, she donned her more whimsical baubles. 

She had two favorite pairs, and she brought them whenever she and my dad would come to Austin for a visit.  I don't remember where, but I found the pair of armadillos before they moved to Dallas and sent them to her.  She loved them - and whenever people asked, she was more than happy to talk about Texas - nice people, good food, and no, not everyone rides a horse or has an oil well.  I don't know where she found the Texas shaped ones with the stone bluebonnets, but I know why she choose them - she loved Texas wildflowers, and always tried to come to Austin in the spring to see them.

I've been thinking about my dad this weekend, too, as today would have been his 80th birthday.  I miss them both terribly - but am grateful for my wonderful childhood, their constant support, and the amazing example they set for me as parents and in their marriage. When I picture them in my mind, it is in moments like this one - from 1998 - when we were all in Texas, happy, healthy and together (if you look closely, you can see that Mom is wearing the armadillo earrings).


As I mentioned in my last post, we have entered into the period of non-stop celebrations that lasts until after the new year - including some other very special birthdays this week...one of my college roommates and BFF (hers was Sunday), my brother and my nephew today (you read that right - my father, my brother and my nephew were all born on the same day), and my brother in law - with whom we'll celebrate next weekend.

I love all my shiny things, I really do - but it is the stories that go with them, and the memories they hold - not the precious stones or metals that make them so special.

Until next time.

10.05.15 O is for October...

Opals in the Gem Room at the Smithsonian

...and opals and overdrive.

Around our house, mid-October marks the beginning of a multi-month frenzy of birthdays, anniversaries and holidays that leaves me winded just thinking about it - thank goodness the summer heat is showing signs of abating. By the time the mayhem subsides, we'll be a couple of weeks into 2016.

Since birthdays are a big part of all that craziness, I'm starting this month with a post about October's birthstones - opal and tourmaline.

Photo Credit: Able Ground

I find opals fascinating - they are unlike any other gem I can think of, in that they are composed of stacks of silica spheres, as opposed to most minerals which have a linear crystal structure. Opals are very soft - around a 6.0 on the Mohs scale (a diamond is a 10) - which makes them delicate, and better in earrings or pendants than rings, just because of wear and tear.

Most of the world's opals come from Australia, and another jewelry loving friend recently told me that there is an Aboriginal legend about their origin. There are variations on the story, but they all involve a rainbow being sent to the earth as a message of peace - certainly something we can all use in these tumultuous times.

In some versions, the opals were formed where the rainbow touched the ground, in others it is where the creator stepped. The details of the legend may vary, but is clear why the Aborigines believed these gems were the embodiment of a rainbow - the finest ones contain every color.

Most opals are cut as cabochons rather than faceted - in part because of their softness - and because they are somewhat opaque faceting doesn't add as much as it does to a clear stone.  I have couple of pair of opal earrings that I love - both with cabochon stones.  The filigree pair was given to me by my colleagues when I left my state job and went into consulting (to the dark side, as some of them said) almost 20 years ago, and the other is a pair that I bought in Marblehead, MA as a souvenir when I attended my cousin's wedding.  

October's other birthstone is the tourmaline - and like opal  it is a
silicate, and comes in a rainbow of colors - but it has a more typical gemstone crystalline structure.   My favorite tourmalines are the "watermelon" ones, so named because of their combined pink and green colors.

This pair of watermelon baguettes is one of my go-to choices in the summer - just wearing them makes me happy.

So, if you know an October baby, and you want to get them some "pumpkin spice" - hop on over to my October birthstone Pinterest board and look for something shiny!

Tourmalines in the Gem Room at the Smithsonian

Until next time.

09.28.15 Hail a cab

Smithsonian Institution - Star of Bombay
Photo credit: Tim Evanson (flickr)

...not a taxi, a cabochon.

What, you ask, is a cabochon?  It is a stone that is polished and shaped (usually in a dome) rather than being faceted.  Frequently, but not always, this cut is reserved for stones that are opaque, or of a lower quality - cloudy or included - but with good color.  Star or cats eye stones are also cabochons - because if the pieces were faceted, the star would not show.

I have a couple of favorites in my collection - each from a different great aunt.  The first is a single piece from a squash blossom necklace.  My mother's Aunt Hattie took pieces from one of the many in her collection and had them made into pendants for her nieces.  I've had this one since I was a teenager.

The other is a an Armenian brooch with a carnelian cab, that my father's Aunt Bea (yes, I had an Aunt Bea) acquired when she was traveling in Israel in the 1980s. I love dark red stone and the hand-worked silver that looks like lace close up.

I'm thinking about cabs because I have signed up for Creative Side Jewelry Academy's eight session 101 Jewelry Fabrication Class later this month.  To say I am excited is an understatement!  After taking weekend classes in lost wax casting and precious metal clay (PMC) - I'm going to be able to spend 32 hours over four weeks learning bench jewelry skills.  The result - according to the course description will be "6-7 projects: rings, bracelets, pendants or earrings in sterling silver, copper and brass."

Photo credit: Creative Side Jewelry Academy

One of the things we will do is work with setting stones using two techniques - bezel and tab - setting.  This photo shows examples of each - and is a clue as to why I am thinking about cabochons.

For these types of projects, opaque stones are far better because there is no light coming through the back of the piece.  Clear, faceted stones benefit from open settings that allow light to pass through and bounce among the facets to create sparkle.  Opaque cabochon stones can be set against metal and not lose any of their beauty.

Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

I've been trolling jewelry sites looking at cabs - and the range of ideas, stones, sizes - and prices - is almost endless.  One of my favorite jewelers, Cecile Raley Designs, sells gorgeous gems as well as finished items.  She's got two listings on her site for 4mm cabs - one for a pair of moonstones ($40) and one for a pair of emerald cats eyes (almost $400) - just as an example.

Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs

I'll definitely be working in the $20 per stone range for these projects, but it's fun to look at gorgeous gems like these emeralds.

I'll certainly be writing a blog post, or two, about the classes - but if you want to follow along in real time, keep an eye on my instagram where I'll post pictures along the way.

Until next time.

09.21.15 A rose by any other name...

Photo credit: New Yorker Magazine

I'm an android, not an iPhone, person so until I read about it recently in the New Yorker I was unaware that Apple was introducing a "Rose Gold" version...and really, the article is not so much about the shiny new phone, as the return of the copper and gold alloy itself. I love Rebecca Mead's description of the precious metal - she says "in appearance rose gold is warm and flush - what yellow gold would look like if it suddenly suffered an embarrassment."

Photo credit: Rebecca Minkoff

I do love the warmth of this metal, and was delighted to see it come back a few years ago.  Since its return I've added a number of wonderful pieces in my jewelry drawer.  Some I've written about before - like my Rebecca Minkoff watch with its rose gold face, or my lovely Tiffany hearts.

Photo credit: Elizabeth and James

I mention Tiffany, not only because of my rose gold pendant, but because in celebration of the iconic brand's 175th anniversary, they introduced a new rose colored metal called "Rubedo".  According to Tiffany, it is a "new precious metal", a secret alloy priced lower than gold, and they claim, easier to work with.  Other jewelers and materials scientists weren't sold on the "new" part, but it certainly made for some lovely pieces and an effective marketing campaign.

Photo credit: Metalicious

I really like the combination of warm rose gold and the cool, bright white of silver.  That's at least part of what drew me to these Elizabeth and James "Geodesic" earrings.  Although they are longer than most of the drop earrings I usually wear, I loved the shape of these so much, I stepped out of my comfort zone a little bit - and I'm glad I did, because I actually where them a lot.

Photo credit: Stella & Dot

Without intending to, I recently added another "geometric" piece to my collection - this time from Stephanie Maslow's Modern Rocks collection.  It will come as no surprise to regular readers that I was drawn to her "Emerald Facet" necklace - and I chose it in rose gold.

Kind of like leopard print - I like rose gold pieces as an accent - you don't want to have too much of a good thing, so I tend to chose either a necklace, or earrings - but not both.

In the case of rose gold, I haven't just limited myself to jewelry - my summer purse (from Stella & Dot) is a lovely shiny pink, I even have a pair of rose gold Keds.

So much to do, so little time - grabbing my bag and my kicks - and off I go!

Until next time.

09.14.15 The Dog Days of Summer

My mother, grandfather and Penny (1943)

We are pet people.  More than once I have said that I'd like to be reincarnated as one of my critters.  Our animals lead very plush lives (go ahead and groan), with no responsibilities other than to wag their tails or purr when we rub their ears.

Where dogs are concerned, we have always had spaniels.  As a child, my mother had a springer, Penny, who would sneak into  her room at night and get under the covers at the foot of the bed.  Even though the dog was NOT supposed to be there, my grandmother would pretend not to notice, and let her stay.  Penny was the first in a long line of over-indulged dogs.

Silver spaniel pin

My mom was a dog person through and through. I have a great pair of earrings that belonged to her - I suspect she acquired them from the New Yorker Magazine catalog, as they are silver renditions of dogs drawn by their famous cartoonist, James Thurber.

Thurber earrings

The old man of our household is Max, the cocker spaniel, who is going on 16.  Since the kids left home, he is pretty much my constant companion, hanging out under my feet when I work (or try to do anything in the kitchen).

Max the dog

My husband, and by extension my kids, are cat people...so we have cats in our menagerie as well.

Our first cat was a grey tabby with great eyes - one brown and one green.  We didn't start out to have a cat - but he had been abandoned and showed up on our back porch.  I felt sorry for him and put out a bowl of milk - and posted a "lost cat" message on our neighborhood email list.  When, after multiple postings (and feeding him high dollar cat kibble because my husband said I couldn't keep giving him milk) no one claimed him, he claimed us.

Agent 99

He showed up about the same time we adopted our dog, as a puppy.  So - we named them as a pair - Max and Agent 99.

99, as we called him, was an outside cat, but when it was cold or he needed a check up he allowed us to be his humans.

I don't remember where I spotted this pin - but it made me think of Agent 99, so I bought it.  He would leave "gifts" at the back door for me.  He wasn't a particularly social cat, but he had a really big heart.

When Agent 99 died, both my daughter and the dog moped, terribly.  So, despite not being a "cat person" I agreed to another cat.  We adopted MoJo, an orange tabby.  We refer to him as the "tabby spaniel" because he grew up following Max around, he really does behave more like a dog than a cat. They are best buds, and are happiest when they are hanging out together.

MoJo Kitty

I spotted this pin in a catalog, one that I flipped through, and probably would have tossed directly into the recycling except that this it reminded me so much of Max and MoJo, I knew I had to have it.

I'm really grateful for my furry friends, even though sometimes I feel like my primary job is "critter concierge"...let one in, let the other one out, fill the water bowl...without them around, my empty nest would be entirely too quiet.

The sound of the dog snoring, or the cat purring, is just enough to keep the silence at bay, and keep me from feeling lonely.

As we meander through these last dog days of summer, I hope you find some time hang out with a friend or catch a cat nap.

Until next time.